Connecticut Municipal Redevelopment Authority Board holds first meeting

On July 11 the Connecticut Municipal Redevelopment Authority (MRDA) held its inaugural meeting in Hartford. The new quasi-public state agency was created through legislation from the General Assembly signed by Governor Ned Lamont and has a remit to spur the growth of new housing across the state by helping municipalities make use of transit-oriented development.

While any municipality can opt into MRDA assistance, which can include help with the development of housing growth zones and locating necessary resources, it has no authority or ability to impact decision making or spur growth in municipalities that remain far from housing affordability goals and refuse to seek assistance.

“The availability of housing is directly connected to a healthy economy because businesses want to expand and add jobs in locations where they have access to a quality workforce, and workers want to live where they have access to jobs and transportation,” Governor Lamont said when the meeting was announced. “The Municipal Redevelopment Authority will be taking a holistic approach to partnering with Connecticut’s municipalities to spur the development of new housing that is easily accessible to transportation options and meets the needs that businesses are seeking.”

“We will hopefully facilitate a quicker ability for the state and the various agencies to engage with cities and towns and move contracts along in their processes,” explained Matthew Brockman, Ned Lamont’s recently appointed Chief of Staff.

“The hope is that this board could be both nimble in its work, as is the intent of the governor and the legislature, and to have this board partner with cities and towns to identify and market zones that are fast tracked for development with a focus on market rate housing,” Brockman added.

The MRDA will be overseen by a 16-member board of directors, all of whom will serve as volunteers and receive no compensation. Nine of the board members will be appointed by bipartisan legislative leaders and the governor. The remaining seven members are ex-officio members, including the commissioners of the Departments of Housing, Economic and Community Development, Transportation, Labor, Energy and Environmental Protection, Public Health, and the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management. Those executives can also designate another to fulfil the role in their stead.

Lamont selected Felix Reyes, the director of economic development and planning for the city of New London as the chairperson.

“I would like to personally thank Governor Lamont for appointing me the chair to this all stars cast we have here today,” Reyes said. “I’m sure I speak for everyone here today that we are truly committed to making sure that MRDA is a well respected and impactful partner to many.”

Reyes also expressed gratitude to the many people who worked to make the launch of the organization possible, and put forward David Kooris, a veteran neighborhood, city, and regional planner to serve as the executive director for the MRDA. He is currently the President of Stamford Downtown, the state’s largest business improvement district.

Kooris was accepted with the board’s unanimous approval and said that the role was almost a dream job for somebody such as himself who has spent the past 20 years working with planning organizations.

“There are dozens and dozens of municipalities that want to grow, that want to provide new housing opportunities that want to foster economic development,” Kooris said. “This authority is designed to help them realize how to do so. I’ve worked in many municipalities, large and small, and all have incredibly dedicated professionals and a ton of expertise. I really hope that what the MRDA ultimately achieves is to provide that support structure that can be deployed to the willing municipalities to help them achieve their objectives.”

Future meetings will occur on the third Thursday of every month.